Lintel protecting shield for fireplace damper construction



Oct. 7, 1958 A. P. ROBINSON 2, LINTEL PROTECTING SHIELD FOR FIREPLACE I DAMPER CQNSTRUCTION Filed May 18, 1956 INVENTOR. 2 141.5521 F Poe/-50 60m I 7 E Wir LINTEL PRUTECTING srnntnnon FIREPLACE DAMPER ooNsrnUcrroN This invention relates to improvements in typical present day residential fireplaces wherein the masonry across the front opening of the fireplace is supported by one or more metal beams, bars or other members that are embedded at their ends for support in the masonry at opposite sides of the opening. While such masonry supports are usually in the form of angle iron bars, they may be, and in many instances comprise a part of a damper frame structure that is set within the throat portion of the fireplace between the combustion chamber and flue, such as, for example, the damper frame structure of my United States Patent No. 2,312,000 issued on February 23, 1943.

In the ordinary fireplace construction, damage to masonry over the fireplace opening frequently results from the fireplace heat or by the warping and expanding of the metal members that support the masonry; this warping and expanding being due to the fact that the metal supports are invariably exposed directly to the heat and fire of the fireplace. Such damage is generally exemplified by the cracking of the masonry which is supported by and that which is at the ends of said metal supports.

In the present specification, I will refer to that part of the fireplace masonry that extends across the front opening of the fire box, and with which the metal'supports for that masonry are directly associated, as the lintel portion of the fireplace structure, and the metal members which support or which aid in the support of this lintel portion will be referred to as the lintel supports or as the lintel supporting members.

It will here be noted also that the present application is a continuation-in-part of an application, now abandoned, filed by me on March 16, 1952, under Serial No. 276,752 and which was a continuation in part of an earlier application filed on March 7, 1947, which matured into U. S. Patent No. 2,595,543. The present application embodies therein the basic ideas of these earlier applications as well as some new subject matter.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide practical and relatively inexpensive means for the protection of the lintel portion of the fireplace structure and also for the protection of all metal members which are associated therewith as supports. It is a further object to embody the lintel protective means of this invention in the form of a metal shield that is supported from the masonry, between the location of the fire or source of fireplace heat and the lintel portion and its supports, and in such relationship thereto as to define therewith an air passage through which room air will be induced to flow with cooling etfect on the shield and parts protected thereby.

Further objects of the invention are to be found in the details of construction of the shield; in its means of support, and in the combination of the various parts embodied by the invention as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing the above mentioned and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved detatea ate tails of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the throat portion of a fireplace showing a lintel shield and a damper frame applied to the throat and equipped with a damper plate that coacts with the shield to extend the cooling air passage, as provided by the shield, into the flue.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the damper frame and lintel supporting members of Fig. l, and the shield as applied to the lintel supporting angle bar.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lintel portion of a fireplace showing one manner of supporting a shield from the angle bar that supports the masonry.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the lintel portion of a fireplace showing an alternative way of attaching a shield to the angle bar.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

In Fig. l, I have shown, in vertical cross-section, a typical fireplace structure in which the masonry that constitutes the lintel portion across the top of the fireplace opening is supported by an angle iron bar or beam 60,

and slightly above it, by the horizontal flange 62 of the front wall 62' of a damper frame 62. The damper frame is of the usual rectangular form, comprising front and back walls and opposite end walls. Adjustably supported in the throat passage 15 that is defined by the frame is a damper plate 63 with trunnion form supports 64 at its opposite ends pivotally contained in openings provided therefor in the end walls of the damper frame, near the front wall 62'.

When in an open position, the damper plate 63 extends upwardly and rearwardly parallel with and spaced from the flue wall, with its lower end portion spaced rearwardly from the front wall of the damper frame, thus providing an air passage 65 between them that extends the full length of the damper plate and opens upwardly to the flue above the damper frame. The damper plate is here shown to be equipped with a lever 67 for adjusting it between open and closed positions and for holding it in different position of adjustment.

Applied to the angle iron lintel 60, to protect it against the damaging fireplace heat, is a shield 70. This shield comprises a plate that preferably extends the full width of the fireplace opening and is angularly bent along a longitudinal line thus to provide a horizontal flange 70a and a substantially vertically directed flange 70b. The shield is applied to the angle iron lintel along the under and inside faces thereof with space between them thus to provide an intermediate air passage 27. This passage has its inlet along the front of the fireplace, across the top of the fireplace opening, and its outlet at the top of the inside flange of the lintel 60, and in direct communication with the passage 60 between damper plate 63 and the front wall 62' of the damper frame when the damper plate 63 is in open position as shown.

Preferably the shield 70 is permanently secured to the lintel 60 by spacers that are disposed between the flanges of the lintel and shield, and spot welded thereto as indicated. However, other means for spacing and attaching the shield to the lintel can be used.

In Fig. 3, I have illustrated a slightly modified form of shield and novel manner of its attachment to a lintel support of angle iron form. In this view, the lintel is designated at 60a and the shield by numeral 70a. Extending laterally from the longitudinal edges of the shield, at spaced intervals therealong, are hooks 81 adapted to be holdingly applied over the edges of the vertical and horizontal flanges of the lintel as a means for functionally supporting the shield from the lintel. In this combination, an air channel 27 is provided between lintel and shield. In this instance the hooks have sliding movement on theflanges to compensate for expansion or contraction of parts.

Another alternative form of shield supporting means has been shown in Fig. 4 wherein the usual angle iron lintel is designatedat 60c, and the shield is designated at 700. The shield comprises a vertical flange and a horizontal flange that are disposed in spaced relationship to the vertical and horizontal flanges of the angle ironrlintel support. Bolt 85 is applied through these flanges, midway of the ends of the shield in place.

What I claim is: a r

In a fireplace construction of masonry having a throat and a flue, a damper frame set within the throat portion of the fireplace and defining the throat passage to the flue, an angle iron beam fixed in the fireplace masonry at a lower level than the said damper frame and supporting the masonry across the top of the front opening of the fireplace, an angular plate fixed to said beam in spaced relationship thereto and providing an air passage between them, said angular plate having one leg disposed below the beam and its other leg disposed rearwardly of an extending upwardly from the first leg at the rear of the beam to the damper frame, a damper plate pivotally mounted in the damper frame and rotatably adjustable from closed position to an open position about a horizontal axial line that is substantially in the plane of said other leg of the angular plate and in open position forms an extension of the said inner wall of the heat shield so as to extend the air passage through the damper frame into the fireplace flue.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS gimm 

